Glossary of American Slang

Glossary of American Slang
ace (very good). He’s an ace reporter.
action (excitement). Where is the action?
airhead (stupid person). My brother is a real airhead.
all wet (completely wrong). Your ideas are all wet.
all-nighter (studying all night). I fell asleep after an all-nighter.
ammo (ammunition). The gun ran out of ammo.
antifreeze (liquor). I need some antifreeze on cold nights.
armpit (undesirable place). That town is the armpit of America.
awesome (great). What an awesome sunset.
bad (intense). Wow, that was really a bad movie.
barf (vomited). He barfed all over the seat of the airplane.
bashed (crushed). The board was bashed beyond recognition.
beat (exhausted). I’m really beat.
beemer (BMW car). He bought a new beemer.
bench (taken out of the game). He was benched for misconduct.
bent (angry). It’s OK. Don’t get so bent.
bent out of shape (upset). Don’t get so bent out of shape.
big gun (powerful person). They brought the big gun to the meeting.
big mouth (talk too much). You have a really big mouth.
big stink (big issue). They made a big stink about nuclear power.
blade (knife). He carries a ten-inch blade.
blimp (very fat person). I always sit next to a blimp when I travel.
blow (leave). I’m going to blow out of here now.
blow (lost). He blew all his money gambling.
blow a fuse (lose your temper). Hey, don’t blow a fuse over this.
blow one’s cool (become angry). Calm down. Don’t blow your cool.
blown away (greatly impressed). I was blown away by his presentation.
bomb (bad). The movie was a bomb.
bombed (intoxicated), The driver of that car was bombed.
Source: “Interesting Things for ESL Students,” 1998
by Charles Kelly and Laurence Kelly.

onkers (crazy). I think I am going bonkers.
boo-boo (mistake). If you make another boo-boo, you won’t have a job.
boo-boo (minor injury, usually a scrape). I have a boo-boo on my big toe.
booze (alcohol). I promised to bring two bottles of booze to the party.
bread (money). I need some bread to pay for my car.
break (opportunity). A lucky break helped him get the job.
break it up (stop). Break it up, or I’ll call the police.
bring-down (depressing). The news of the crash was a real bring-down.
buck (dollar). Do you have a buck I can borrow?
bummed (depressed). I was really bummed after I heard the news.
bummer (bad experience). My trip to New York was a bummer.
bust (failure). The whole idea was a bust.
buy it (die). If you don’t slow down, you’ll buy it in a car accident.
buy it (accept). I’m not buying his story for coming in so late last night.
call (prediction). The weatherman made a good call about that storm.
can (bathroom). Do you know where the can is?
catch some rays (get some sunshine). I ‘m going to lie on the beach and catch some rays.
catch some Z’s (get some sleep). I need to catch some Z’s before I go on my trip.
cheesy (cheap). That’s a cheesy-looking outfit.
chicken (coward). Don’t be a chicken. Stand up to him.
chintzy (cheap). He was so chintzy when it came time to tip the waitress.
chow down. (eat a lot). I need to find a place to chow down.
clip (cheat). Watch out or they will clip you at that bar.
cluncker (old car). I can’t go on a date in that clunker.
cold fish (dull, unresponsive). My date for the dance was a cold fish.
collar (arrest). I knew they would collar the robber sooner or later.
come up for air (take a break). He has to come up for air or he’ll die of exhaustion.
con (deceive). Don’t try to con me.
cool (good). This a really cool place to work.
cool down (calm down). Things should cool down in a day or two.

cop (stole). He copped that road sign last night.
cop (policeman). The cop showed me his badge.
couch potato (lazy person). I was a real couch potato all day Saturday.
crack open a bottle (open). Let’s crack open a bottle of champagne for your birthday.
cram (study hard). I need more time to cram for the test.
cream (beat) Our team creamed them badly
croak (die) I feel like I’m going to croak.
cruise (going very fast). The skier was cruising down the hill.
cushy (easy). He has a real cushy job.
cut (dilute). Could you cut my whiskey with a little water?
cut out (leave). It is late, I have to cut out.
cut it out (a command to stop). Cut it out! That is so irritating.
damage (cost). Let’s get our restaurant bill and see what the damage is.
dead (quiet). It’s really been dead around here lately.
deck (knocked down). He was decked in the fight.
deep pockets (is a good source of money). Her boyfriend has deep pockets.
dicey (chancy). Since the weather is a little dicey, I won’t go today.
dirty (obscene). I hear that’s a dirty movie.
ditch (get rid of) I’ll ditch my younger brother with my grandmother.
do a snow job on (deceive). Don’t try to do a snow job on me.
dope (stupid person). He is such a dope.
dork (strange person). He is such a dork.
dough (money) I need some dough to go Christmas shopping.
down (drink quickly). Let’s go to a bar and down a few beers.
drag (boring). Doing homework is such a drag.
dynamite (powerful, great). This drink is really dynamite.
earful (a lot of gossip). My grandmother game me an earful about the neighborhood.
easy mark (likely victim). Your are an easy mark if you carry a lot of cash.
eat (bothering). The problem is really eating away at me.
excellent (very fine). That’s excellent, man.

face-off (confrontation) The two dies were headed for a nasty face-off.
far out (great). This music is really far out.
fix (dose of drugs). The addict needs another fix.
flaky (unreliable). He is too flaky to do the work.
flashback (a memory) At the wedding he had a flashback of his old girlfriend.
flick (movie). I haven’t seen a flick in a long time.
flip out (lost control). He flipped out when he heard his mother had been killed.
flip side (other side). What kind of music do you have on the flip side of the tape?
fox (very attractive). His older sister is a fox.
foxy (sexy). She’s a foxy lady.
freebie (a free thing). The pillow was a freebie.
get into something (become seriously interested in). He got into gardening in high school.
get it (understand) I listened to the joke twice but I still don’t get it.
get with it (hurry up). If you don’t get with it, we will never finish this work.
gig (job). I have a gig on a Saturday night from 7 to 10 pm.
glitch (problem). There’s glitch in this computer software.
glitzy (fashionable). This is a pretty glitzy hotel to be staying in.
go (try). Let me have a go at solving the problem.
go bananas (go crazy). I’m going to go bananas if I don’t get away soon.
go down (happening). What’s going down at your place?
goof (fool). I’m a real goof at times.
goofy (silly). You were acting really goofy last night.
gourd (head). Use your gourd to figure out what is happening.
grand (thousand dollars). His salary is twenty grand.
grass (marijuana). Some students smoke grass in the dormitory.
gravy (easy money). This job is pure gravy.
groovy (pleasant). This music is groovy. (Note: This expression is from the 1960’s and outdated in
American culture.
gross (disgusting). Picking your nose is a gross habit.
gross-out (disgusting time) The party was a gross-out.

grub (food). Where is the best place to get some grub around here?
grubby (unclean and untidy). Those clothes are too grubby to wear to the party.
grungy (dirty). That is a grungy jacket.
gut (stomach). He was shot in the gut.
guts (courage). It takes a lot of guts to give the boss your true opinion.
hairy (dangerous). That was a hairy plane trip. I am glad the storm is over.
hammer ( accelerator). Put the hammer to the floor or we’ll be late for the wedding.
hang it up (quit). I have decided to hang up my teaching job.
hang loose (relax). Just hang loose for another few days.
hang tough (stick with). We need to hang tough on our decision.
hardware (weapons). The police were surprised by all the hardware the gang members had.
have a buzz on (slightly intoxicated). I had a buzz on after the third martini.
have good vibes (feel good about). I have good vibes about our new secretary.
have it all together (feel mentally all there). Recently I haven’t had it all together.
heave (vomited). I heaved up on the floor.
high (intoxicated on drugs). The teenagers looked high to me.
hip-shooter (always talking without thinking). He is such a hip-shooter.
history (something in the past) I don’t have any ideas where my old boyfriend is. He’s history.
hit (successful). Your proposal was a hit with the boss.
hole up (hide) He had to hole up for three days to hide from the police.
head honcho (boss). The head honcho says that we have to hurry.
hooker (prostitute). Her clothes make her look like a hooker.
hot (stolen). The police stopped them because they thought the car was hot.
hot (sexy). That girl is hot.
huffy (angry). I will do it soon so please don’t get huffy.
hungry (eager to make money). If you are not hungry, you won’t get ahead in the business.
hustle (hurry up). If you don’t hustle, we’ll be late again.
hyped (excited). The fans were all hyped up for the football game.
hyper (over excited). Don’t get hyper about what she told you. You know it isn’t true.
I.D. (identification). Can you show me some I.D. please?

in (fashionable). The jacket you are wearing is really in.
in deep (involved). They are really in deep with each other.
in the bag. (taken care of). Everything is in the bag. There’s nothing to worry about.
intense (stressful). This is a very intense situation we are discussing.
jam (trouble). I am glad you got yourself out of that jam.
jerk someone around (wasting my time and causing me trouble). Everyone is jerking me around.
jock (athlete). My roommate is a jock for the basketball team.
john (bathroom). The john really smells bad today.
joint (cheap bar). Where is the closest joint to here?
joint (marijuana cigarettes). He is good at rolling joints.
junkie (drug addict). Sam is a junkie.
just off the boat (naïve). He acts like he is just off the boat.
keep one’s cool (remained calm). He kept his cool when his house burned down.
kegger (beer party). I hear there is a kegger at John’s house tonight.
kick (enjoy). I get a kick out of watching him paint.
klutz (stupid and clumsy person). He is a real klutz.
knock (criticize). Don’t knock it if you can’t do it any better.
knocked up (pregnant). My dog gets knocked up once a year.
knockout (stunningly beautiful or handsome person). Who was that knockout I saw you with last Friday?
knuckle sandwich (punch in the mouth). Shut up or I’ll give you a knuckle sandwich.
kook (strange person). Watch out for all the kooks in this neighborhood.
laid-back (calm and relaxed). You need to be more laid-back.
lame (inadequate). That is a lame excuse.
line (story). I have heard that line a million times.
loser (annoying and useless) John is a loser.
love handles (rolls of fat around the stomach). I exercise every day but can’t get rid of these love handles.
make waves (cause trouble). Try not to make waves around the office.
maxed out (exhausted). I am maxed out at my work and need to rest.
mean (performs well on). He plays a mean violin.
mega (large). I have mega amounts of tomatoes in my garden this summer.

megabucks (a lot of money). He made megabucks when he sold his company.
mellow (calm down and relax). You need to mellow out and enjoy life.
meltdown (total collapse). There has been a meltdown in the relationship between my parents and me.
mickey mouse. (nonsense and a waste of time). The homework the teacher gave us was mickey mouse.
move on someone (pick up and seduce). I am going to try to move on Sarah next Saturday.
nark (drug police). Watch out for the narks in the airport.
neat (good). That was a neat idea that you had.
negative (bad thing). There are too many negatives about the company merger.
nick (arrested). The police nicked the shoplifter as he was leaving the store.
nip (a quick drink). I could really use a nip right now.
no sweat (no problem) It’s no sweat to have the report in to you by Monday.
nuke (nuclear weapons). Does that attack plane have any nukes?
nuke (heat up in the microwave). I’ll nuke our dinner in a few minutes.
nut (crazy person). I think that he is a nut.
nuts (crazy). You are completely nuts if you think I will go with you.
pad (a place to live). His apartment is a bachelor’s pad.
pain in the neck (annoying). My wife’s best friend is a pain in the neck.
paper-pusher (bureaucratic office worker). My office is filled with paper-pushers.
party animal (person who loves to go to parties). You’re too old to be a party animal.
party-hearty (celebrate). We need to party hearty because we just got a raise in salary.
paws (hands). Get your paws off my body.
peanuts (practically no money). I am not going to work for peanuts.
piece of cake (easy to do). Working on a computer for me is a piece of cake.
pig (eats too much). He is a pig at parties.
pig out (eat a lot or overeat). Let’s go to the restaurant and pig out.
pit stop (stop and go to the bathroom). Let’s make a pit stop at the next rest area.
plastered (intoxicated). He drinks too much and is always plastered on the weekend.
pooped out (quit). He pooped out after we started to do the hard work.
pop (hit). Shut up or I’ll pop you one.
pop for something (buy). It’s my turn to pop for something.

pro (professional). He is really a pro at his work.
prod (reminder). Can you give me a gentle prod next week so I won’t forget?
psyched up (mentally ready). The players are really psyched up for the game on Friday.
psycho (mentally ill). She is a psycho. She should be in a hospital.
puke (vomit). I feel like I am going to puke.
push off (leave) I am going to push off now.
put the moves on (seduce). Just give up trying to put the moves on her. She’s married.
put-on (deception). It was an elaborate put-on which I almost believed.
quarterback (lead). Who is going to quarterback the meeting?
quick buck (easy money). I need to make a quick buck.
rack (bed). I have to hit the rack by ten or I’ll be tired in the morning.
rack out (sleep). I am going to rack out for two hours.
racket (noise). There sure was a lot of racket outside last night.
rag (newspaper of low quality) I can’t believe we still get this same old rag.
rap (talk about) We need to sit down and rap about a few things.
rathole (run-down place). When are you going to move out of this rathole?
raw (new). The raw office workers were not getting much done.
ream someone out (got angry with him). The boss really reamed him out for his bad report.
red hot (important). Your idea is really red hot.
repo (repossess). Hey, don’t repo my car. I’ll pay next week.
rinky-dink (inferior). The circus was really rinky-dink.
riot (funny). The comedy show was a riot.
road hog (someone who takes up too much of the road). That driver is a road hog.
rocks (with ice). Would you like your whiskey on the rocks?
rug (wig). Is that a rug on his head?
rug rat (a very young child). My sister has three rug rats.
sack (bed). When did you hit the sack last night?
scam (swindle). Don’t lose all your money in some kind of scam.
scarf (to eat quickly). He scarfed down everything on his plate.
schmuck (jerk). What a stupid schmuck.

screw around (waste time). Don’t screw around all day at work.
screw up (make a mistake) If you screw up one more time, I will fire you.
sharp (intelligent). He is very sharp with numbers.
shot (try). I’ll give the puzzle another shot.
slammer (jail). The police threw him in the slammer.
smashed (intoxicated). Try not to get smashed at the party.
split (leave). It’s almost time to split.
spuds (potatoes). Do you want rice or spuds for dinner?
straight (honest). I want you to give me a straight answer.
sucker (someone who is deceived). Don’t be a sucker.
take a hike (leave). I am tired of all your complaining. Take a hike.
taken (cheated out of). He was taken for all his money at the casino.
taking care of business (doing what has to be done). I’ve been taking care of business.
threads (clothes). Those look like expensive threads he is wearing.
tool around (drive around). I don’t want to tool around all night. It’s time to go home.
totaled (completely wrecked). My care was totaled in the accident with the garbage truck.
up (happy and cheerful). He has been up ever since he met his new girlfriend.
up for grabs (available). This is a sale. Everything is up for grabs.
veg out (relax and do nothing). I want to veg out in front of the television this evening.
vibes (feelings). He really gives off good vibes.
wad (bundle of money). You don’t want to carry a wad like that with you in the big city.
wheels (car). If you let me borrow your wheels, I’ll go out and buy a pizza.
whiz (talented person). He’s a whiz at the computer.
wired (alert). I am really wired after drinking five cups of coffee.
wussy (weak person). Don’t be such a wussy all the time. Say what you are thinking.
yukky (bad). This food tastes yukky.
zapped (exhausted). I am too zapped to help you right now.
zip (nothing). He knew zip about running the company.